Being in the Moment: Mindfulness at Work

For around
two and a half thousand years, Buddhists have been sitting quietly. That
they’ve been doing it so long is reason enough to think there’s something in
it. And, in recent years, business leaders in some of the world’s top companies
have been turned on to the value of mindfulness meditation, too.

Since the
1970s, the practice of mindfulness has increasingly been used to improve
concentration and awareness in the corporate, medical and academic worlds. So
often, the theory goes, our minds are consumed with compulsive worrying about
the future, or rehashing the past. But, with regular practice, by training
ourselves to be more present in the moment, mindfulness allows us to break out
of automatic patterns of thought and focus on what we really want to be doing.

Sounds
good, right? Certainly, its practitioners are committed to it. But, it’s no
magic bullet: mindfulness works most effectively when practiced regularly over
a period of time. Essentially, the technique is to begin by focusing on your
breathing, then gradually becoming consciously, non-judgmentally aware of
thoughts and feelings within your body, and what’s going on outside it. Over
time, the process allows the mindful practitioner to notice when their thoughts
are taking over their mind, rather than the other way around, and, ultimately,
control them.

Here are a
few simple ways to begin practicing mindfulness.

1. Breathe

One
popular technique of mindfulness training is focused breathing. Sit
comfortably, in a chair or on a cushion, and concentrate on your breath. Try
and really experience your breathing as it comes in and out of your body.

If your
mind begins to wander, don’t beat yourself up for losing concentration; simply
note that you’re thinking about something and gently return your focus to your
breathing. If you begin with five or 10 minutes a day, you’ll gradually find
that you’ll be able to hold your focus for 30-40 - though 15 minutes is considered
a happy medium.

2. Focus

Another
traditional meditation method is the ‘body-scan’. Again, sit comfortably (don’t
worry about the lotus, though it doesn’t hurt), and breath. Be aware of how
your entire body, your whole self, feels in any one moment: feel the contact of
the floor, the bend of your knees, the air on your skin, any tingling or
pressure. Try and do this in one movement, like a photograph of your entire
body.

3. Listen

Listen
non-judgmentally. When you’re involved in a conversation, challenge yourself to
hear the speaker’s points without attaching a value judgment to what they’re
saying. And, when you reply, try to do so in the simplest manner possible.